That buzzing sound you hear? That's the promotion machine for Jerry Seinfeld's long-awaited "Bee Movie" kicking into high gear.

With the long-gestating computer-animated film slated to hit theaters Nov. 2, a swarm of publicity already is under way, from the decals on the front doors of multiplexes to the puzzles on the backs of Trix cereal boxes.

And that's just the beginning. During a press tour stop last week in Dallas, Seinfeld said his appearance last week on an episode of "30 Rock" -- which included a hilariously shameless plug for the movie -- will be succeeded in coming weeks by 23 made-for-TV live-action (hive action?) behind-the-scenes "Bee Movie" shorts.

Jerry Seinfeld

"When I say short, they're very short," he said. "They're about a minute, a minute and a half long, and they're going to be airing on NBC in a few weeks. I call them 'TV Juniors,' because they're on TV, but they're shorter than everything else on TV."

Of the two he previewed for the press -- along with a chunk of the movie -- at the Dallas event, the better one was titled "Coffee Idiot" and, without giving anything away, it's very, very Seinfeld. "They're basically just silliness," he said.

DreamWorks' Pictures "Bee Movie" tells the story of Barry B. Benson, a bee voiced by Seinfeld, who sues the human world after discovering that people have been stealing honey from bees for centuries. It also stars Matthew Broderick, Renee Zellweger, John Goodman and Chris Rock.
Movie writer Mike Scott can be reached at (504) 826-3444 or mscott@timespicayune.com.